2650-Mile Socks, Shapeshifting Shoes, and Packs that Adjust on the Fly

Day 1 of Outdoor Retailer Summer Market brought a parade of wonders including a pack whose torso length can be adjusted without taking it off, a shoe with a unique outsole, and socks built to endure 2,650 miles of pounding.

Lowe Alpine is introducing a new adjustable back system that permits wearers to adjust the torso length of packs without taking the pack off!

Many torso length adjustment systems require fussing with velcro, tabs or snaps. The Axiom Back System uses two straps located near the hip strap to adjust the torso length on the fly.

Samantha Killgore demonstrated this new system on the women's Alpamayo 55-75 Pack, which features easy access into the pack body, stretch water bottle pockets, and convenient hipbelt pockets, in addition to the Axiom Back System.

The Vasque Shapeshifter Ultra is an eye-catching trail running shoe with an outsole made from a huge wedge of flashy, injection-molded EVA foam. Vasque's Angie Houck claims that this new outsole improves both speed and traction by conforming more closely to the trail surface.

Vasque uses the Boa L5 lacing system to reduce weight and provide superior fit. The brightly colored foam outsole and the dial-a-fit style lacing system give the shoe a decidedly futuristic appearance.

Keen sends socks to a lab for abrasion testing. Its new Olympus Collection of socks presented a unique challenge: The lab was unable to wear out the socks! Finally, after more than 95,000 cycles of wear testing, over the course of more than a week, they were able to wear through the socks.

The secret weapon is a healthy dose of Dyneema fiber in the toe and heel, the highest wear areas of the sock. Keen claims that this unique fiber not only increases durability, but also helps prevent blisters.

Not satisfied with lab testing alone, Keen collaborated with the Pacific Crest Trail Association* to send these socks out for real-world testing with 14 thru-hikers who will attempt to traverse the entire 2,650 mile length of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.